Haltered and Tagged
Victorian Bride
These two pieces of art, photography and pencil sketch, will be displayed in our group poster project.
The picture of Thelma the horse is beautiful in form and appearance however it has darker themes behind it. The theme of encasement and smothered wildness are evident in this picture. Thelma is meant to be free and wild rather than haltered, tagged and placed in an enclosed pasture. Her fate of captivity is sublime because it strikes terror into our hearts because we also fear a cage even if that cage provides all our basic necessities.
The sketch of the bride on the other hand looks mournful but upon examination and analysis hopeful themes appear. The sketch is a personal interpretation of Linton’s essay The Girl of the Period. The essay contrasts the virtuous Victorian woman and the semi-fallen Victorian woman. However, at the end of this essay Linton suggests there is hope for fallen women. That grace and redemption by love can draw them out of their base state and into regained purity. This image of the bride is a previously fallen woman who has come out of her wild life. A man chose to love her and redeem her as she desired to repent of her formerly base lifestyle. This is her wedding day. She does not mourn for he foul days of her past but rejoices and is thankful for the grace shown to her.
These two pieces will be in conjugation with other pieces of art from my group.
–Katie Anthony
